21st Century Breakdown
by Anam Trodai
Summary: There was a war raging on outside and yet all she wanted was to be in his arms. Mako gets drafted and Korra is left behind.
1. Prologue: Song Of The Century

**Prologue: Song of the Century**

The two of them sat in the dark room, lit by only candles. She had her hair down, a hat on her head, his scarf around her neck, curled up in the warmest clothes she could find. He held her in his arms, not letting her get cold.

They drifted in somnolence, trying their hardest to stay awake, occasionally telling each other little stories of their childhood. Hers in the compound, his growing up with only his brother. The candles slowly began to burn out one by one, til they were lit by only one.

Outside, they could hear the bombs from the Equalist planes exploding, and she knew that hundreds, maybe thousands, were injured. The onslaught of the Equalists had continued long into the winter, and even with her bending returned, they both knew they stood no chance against bombs.

"Sing me a song, Mako." She said as another bomb shook the room, curling up with her head on his lap. He could tell she was losing the battle against sleep after two days straight awake, and he complied.

The last candle burned out as the two of them drifted off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 1: Boulevard of Broken Dreams

**Boulevard of Broken Dreams**

"_...read between the lines, what's fucked up and everything's alright..."_

"Mako! Wait up!" Korra ran to catch up to her boyfriend, who was far ahead of her. They were in a not so friendly or rich part of town, and she didn't want to be left alone. He paused, turning around, and offered his hand to her, which she graciously took. "Thank you."

Gentle snow fell, stained grey from the ash of the rubble around them. A city fallen, Republic City, once glorious and a sign of freedom and equality, was in ruins. General Iroh was doing his best to take care of everything but it was hard when everything was intercepted. It was the first major war in 70 years and had already traveled around the world in a year. Nobody was winning, it was all bombs and destruction. Benders and nonbenders alike huddled in makeshift shelters underground that either earthbenders had formed or nonbenders had dug.

"I used to live here." Mako said after they had been walking for a while. "After my parents died. Bolin and I ended up here..." the end of the sentence drifted off as they came to the ruins of a house that a bomb had landed on. "Should we go in?"

"There might be people inside. Yes."

The two climbed over rubble, careful not to step on anything that looked to be of value in case the owners of the house came back. Clouds of ash rose up, which Korra quickly airbended away.

"Hello?" Korra called out, hearing nothing but silence. She tripped over something, stirring up a cloud of dust and ash, and found herself having a coughing fit that quickly drew Mako to her side.

Her coughing stopped as she used airbending to blow away the dust. "Let's get out of here, there's nothing." she said once she had regained her breath.

Finding nothing, they left the house, making their way through the town.

Everyone was on edge, darting behind walls when they saw the Avatar. Because she was a danger; she couldn't be seen with. The Equalists were everywhere. They could attack and cause even more destruction. They could kill those around them. They could bomb her out of nowhere. She was a risk. A liability.

"Evil Avatar." someone hissed, and she grabbed Mako's arm, trying to stay close to him out of fear.

She looked up at him, blue eyes filled with a fear he hoped he'd never see again. He knew she was scared. He was too. He didn't remember being this scared of anything other than how he would protect his brother. "What do I do? Do I just cut my hair and disguise myself? Pretend to be just another waterbender?"

"If you want to, dear." Mako said, looking around at the destruction around him.

The once grand Republic City had fallen. All around them, destruction was rampant. Buildings destroyed and left in piles of ashes. Injured people sat around, some crying or screaming, and Korra couldn't go near them because they would scream at her; "This is your fault!" and to get away. She wanted to help them so badly, but nobody wanted near her. She had become a pariah, as had Mako for refusing to leave her side. Everyone associated with her was hated by the citizens.

The two made their way to the docks, trying to catch a ferry to Air Temple Island, but to no avail. Nobody wanted her on the boats. Nobody wanted to be seen with her. Korra got into a very loud argument with one of the owners of the ferry before they physically removed her from the dock. "We won't help you."

She was nearly in tears by the time they made their way to the arena, to Mako's old apartment. Half the arena had been bombed away but that didn't stop them as they sat in the dimming light on his bed, close together. There was a war raging on outside and all she wanted was to be in his arms. The bombs would always be there, but she'd be safe as long as she was with him. That's what she told herself at least. He meant safety. He meant security. He meant that she wasn't completely alone.

The buzzing of a radio in the room drew their attention. Korra sighed, got up to walk over to it, and turned the volume up.

"_Attention, citizens of Republic City! All able-bodied men between the ages of 18 and 25 are required to go to a draft meeting at City Hall tomorrow at 3."_

He looked at her, noticing the look of absolute terror in her eyes, her mouth opening in shock.

"No..." she whispered. "NO! They can't take you! I won't let them! You're a cop, aren't you exempt from the draft?" She found herself clinging to him, shaking him, screaming. "They can't take you! Please don't go to the meeting. Please..." Korra leaned against his chest, crying hysterically.

"Korra. I have to."

"Please don't go..."

"Korra. I have to go."

"No. I won't let them take you."

"Damn it, I can't just ignore this. They'll find me and drag me off anyway. I have to go." he nearly shouted, ignoring the fact she was now in hysterics. When he finally did notice, she had curled up on the floor, back against the wall, knees to her chest, not saying anything anymore. "Korra... I..."

The explosion of a bomb outside snapped her out of her hysterics and the two jumped up, grabbing what they could from the apartment. "Time to get to the shelter. Come on."

They ran out of the apartment, leaving only a buzzing radio.


	3. Chapter 2: From Heads Unworthy

**From Heads Unworthy**

"_...when I've served my time I swear I will come back for you..."_

A large group of men stood in front of City Hall, some very eager, some nervous. There were at least 500 men gathered there already when Mako and Korra cautiously walked up. The people parted around them, leaving at least 5 feet of space in between them and the pair. Mako sighed as he felt Korra squeeze his hand for reassurance. "It'll be okay," he whispered, leaning down to talk to her. "It's all gonna be okay."

General Iroh walked up to a podium and turned on the microphone. He noticed the pair amongst the crowd and had to bite the inside of his cheeks to resist saying something about the way they were being treated. There were more important matters, he told himself.

"Today we face a war," he began. "A war that started because one man was too stubborn to let go of the fact there were benders when he himself was one. Now these Equalists, they have traveled all over the world, destroying everything in their path. It is reminiscent of a time my grandfather told me about, a time he fought alongside the Avatar.

"Today, you young men are our hope to save the city. Today, you will register with one of our soldiers, and receive a card that says where you are to go tomorrow. Today, you will no longer be boys, but you will be men."

He paused, looking at the distraught Avatar clinging to Mako.

"And in time, some you will fight alongside the Avatar, whether you want to or not; she is our best hope."

He heard the men talking amongst themselves, angrily, and sighed.

"Over 70 years ago my grandfather's purpose in life was to hunt down the Avatar. He over time not only became friends with Aang, but became his firebending teacher. This girl, she is not the cause of this war. The cause of this war is hate. Hate for benders and nonbenders alike. Hate for peace. Hate for our city to be standing in glory. I don't know how much clearer I can be; this war is NOT the Avatar's fault!" Iroh at this point was leaning over the podium, holding the microphone close to his mouth, shouting.

There was a pause. He looked up and saw the men cautiously walking closer to Korra, who at this point was close to tears. Only a few people had stayed by her side; none had publicly defended her the way Iroh just had, in front of a bunch of men who were about to become soldiers.

She looked up at Mako, who stared ahead, expressionless.

"This is only the beginning." he whispered. "This is going to get worse before it gets better."

The men began separating into lines, going up to the soldiers and giving their names. The soldiers would stamp a machine that produced dog tags, and hand it to the men along with a card. Korra was still clinging to Mako's arm when they got up to the soldier.

"Name?"

"Mako."

"Age?"

"19."

"Profession?"

"I'm a police officer, sir."

The soldier looked up at him, wrote something down, and handed him the card before pressing buttons on the machine. The two of them heard him mutter something about the kids being younger and younger, before he handed Mako the dog tags.

"Never let those go, boy..." he paused, looking at the now-crying Korra. "Don't let her go either."

The two of them left, the girl crying softly, and returned to the apartment.

* * *

It was as if the war stopped for a moment. As if it had decided to let them enjoy one last night together, as lovers.

There were no bombs that night. Just the heat of their bodies pressed together, frantic kisses because who knew when they'd get to kiss next, the flickering candle on the nightstand, the radio playing soft music.

"Promise me you'll come back?" she whispered, and he kissed her.

"I promise. When I'm done, I will come back to you."

* * *

The two of them stood on the dock, as dozens of young men boarded a large ship. They were behind everyone, clinging to each other, knowing there was no say when they would see each other next. The soldiers didn't rush them, they just let them have their moment.

He let go of her for a brief minute to take off his scarf, handing it to her. "Take care of this." he said. "You're the only one I trust with it." With that he wrapped it loosely around her neck.

"Mako, I-"

He cut her off with a kiss, one that was long and deep and scared. When it was over, he turned and walked away, looking back once he got to the boat. She waved with her free hand, the other one wrapped up in the scarf. He smiled sadly, waved goodbye to her, and turned to board the ship.

"I promise, Korra, when I've served my time I swear I will come back for you." he whispered.


	4. Chapter 3: Far From Home

**Far From Home**

"_...the memories are shadows; ink on the page, and I can't seem to find my way home..."_

Boot camp.

He didn't want to be there. Up before the dawn, asleep long after nightfall, it was tiresome and monotonous. There were so many other people that he became "That firebending cop" to the drill sergeants and he hated it. They yelled at people for everything. Show emotion? "Stop crying over your girlfriend, girl." Unable to do as many pushups as everyone else? "You're weak!"

Mako pushed himself. He tried to be the strongest one there. He never showed any sign of emotion even when the drill sergeant made jabs at him for being "The Avatar's little boyfriend." Focus on the war, he thought. Focus on making yourself stronger than everyone else.

Focus.

* * *

Korra was an inconsolable mess when she arrived on Air Temple Island. She refused to do anything because it reminded her of Mako. She refused to talk to anyone. She just refused.

Tenzin was visibly worried. This girl had become like a daughter to him, and to see her spend all day in bed, curled up under the blankets, catatonic, was terrible. Occasionally she'd leave her room, and the hope in everyone's eyes was evident, but it was usually only to retrieve food or use the bathroom, the first of which rarely happened. In the nighttime, they would hear her crying and screaming, knowing she was dreaming of him, and he wasn't there to comfort her the way she wanted.

Late one night, as everyone lay sleeping, they heard the loudest, most agonized scream yet. They quickly ran to her room to find her sitting up in bed, crying hysterically, whispering his name over and over again.

Korra finally broke her silence. Looking up at them with pained eyes, she whispered the four words.

"I want him home."

* * *

Worked to the bone, Mako collapsed onto his bunk, exhausted. All day, he'd told himself to do just one more. One more lap. One more pushup. One more pullup. If he did all that, he told himself, he'd be stronger than they made him out to be. And he didn't want them seeing him as weak. He didn't want anyone seeing him as weak.

Rolling onto his stomach, he reached under the bed to pull out pen and paper to begin writing.

"_Korra,_

_Boot camp is harder than I thought it would be. But I keep saying that if I just work a little harder, I'll be stronger than everyone else, and that it will somehow get me farther. I want so badly to be back home with you, with my brother, with my friends. I want to be home._

_It's strange to think that just weeks ago I was a kid from Republic City, just a kid, and now I'm in training to be a soldier. Part of me knows I have to be here. So that part of me is kind of excited. New things to do, new people to meet. I'm just, as you put it, a City Boy. So this is exciting to me._

_The other part of me is terrified. What if I die? What if I never see you again? I don't want to think of those things but I'm forced to. People are being shipped out every day and we get waves of injured people here because this is where the hospital is._

_I know you are lonely. I know you are scared. But you have Bolin and Asami there to keep you company. You have Tenzin and Pema. You have Lin. You are loved, Korra. Don't be lonely. I will come home as soon as I can. Take care of my brother for me._

_I love you, Korra. I will be home soon. I just can't find my way home right now._

_Mako."_

* * *

"Korra, you have mail." Pema shouted upstairs. Within seconds, the young Avatar appeared at the top of the stairs, running down and snatching the letter Pema was holding out to her. She ripped it open and read it quickly, then held it to her chest, half smiling, half crying. Without saying anything, she returned upstairs.

She returned half an hour later with a very long letter and began to look for an envelope. Upon finding one, she hastily shoved the letter inside and sprinted outside, eager to get to the post office.

* * *

_Just one more, _he thought to himself, dangling from the pullup bar. _Just one more, then you can quit. _Using every muscle in his body, he pulled himself up one last time, then let go, collapsing on the ground in exhaustion. Someone placed a hand on his back, another offered a hand to help him up which he graciously took.

He stood up and looked back at the drill sergeant, who was staring at him in shock.

"Boy, how did you manage to do that many?"

"I thought of what my girlfriend would say if I quit. And how much she'd make fun of me."

"You got a girl back home?" One of the boys who had helped him up asked.

"Mmhmm. From the Southern Water Tribe."

"What's her name?"

"Korra."

"As in, _Avatar Korra? _Wait, you're _the _Mako all the tabloids talked about?"

"I was unaware that I was in tabloids." he said coolly, lying through his teeth. He knew, he just blatantly chose to ignore them.

"That's so awesome. What's she like?"

"Stubborn, headstrong, but with a soft spot she usually refuses to show. She probably hasn't spoken a word since I left."

The two began to walk back to the bunks together, Mako having to force himself to move one more step.

"By the way, I'm Li." the boy said, smiling. "I don't think you've made many friends here from what I've seen."

"Nope. Too much at risk if I get attached to anyone."

"I know, but I just want you to know, if you need anything, I'm here." Li half shouted as a plane flew overhead, leaving to walk to his own barracks. Mako acknowledged this with a nod.

"I'll hold you to that."

* * *

**A/N**: 445 views. Wow you guys. I thought this would get, like, 2. Wow.


	5. Chapter 4: Bleed It Out

**Bleed It Out**

"_...I've opened up these skies, I'll make you face this..."_

It took 3 weeks, 4 days, and 5 hours before the letters stopped. At first she just figured he was busy. But as news of new battles reached her on the radio, she began to get worried, pacing back and forth in front of the radio listening to news of boys being shipped off every day, ranting to Bolin about how they did not need to be fighting and how she was going to go rescue him. Bolin was a year away from the draft, but could probably get in with a bit of lying. Korra, on the other hand, it would take quite a bit of effort for her to fake her way into the draft.

He was theirs, not the army's.

"We're going to get him." She said firmly, "No matter what it takes."

* * *

Mako hated trenches with a passion and hated the gun that had been thrust into his hands even more. He hated weapons. He preffered fighting fire with fire. Literally. Fire, you didn't always kill who you were fighting but guns? Bullet holes sprayed across bodies, through their hearts, through their lungs, it was impossible to survive the spray of automatic machine gun fire. Hiroshi was a curse upon his lips, the name of the man who had invented this terrible weapon.

He missed Korra. He missed Bolin. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but all he wanted to see his brother's and his girlfriend's smiling faces.

Another hail of gunfire rang out and he found himself ducking below the trench walls, back pressed up against them, clutching the gun to his chest. There was a difference between fighting for fun, in Pro Bending tournaments, and fighting to stay alive, like he had in his youth. He felt older than he should as he aimed the gun over the trench wall and fired, a bullet grazing his hand at one point.

Soon the fire ended and he found himself digging through his pack for more paper.

* * *

"Bolin, are you _sure _you've cut hair before?" Korra asked nervously, looking suspiciously at the boy armed with scissors. Bolin simply smiled, spinning her chair around so that she was facing the mirror.

"Of course. I cut my hair all the time. Besides, you don't want it to look good. You want it to look like a mess." With that, he held up a lock of hair and cut it all off. Korra gulped, looking in the mirror as more and more hair began to fall to the floor.

20 minutes later, most of her hair lay in a pile on the floor and she was staring in shock at the mirror. Her hair looked like a boy's. There was no possible way to make it look feminine. This fact brought a smile to her face.

"It's perfect. Let's go get our boy back, Bolin."

* * *

He wondered how they were as gunshots were fired feet away from his head. He wondered if she had stopped crying yet, something he hoped he never had to witness again. Korra didn't cry. She was too strong for that. He had made her weak and he hated himself for that. He had broken down those carefully constructed walls she had built. She was the Avatar; she was supposed to be stronger than he was, but in their moments alone he had told himself she was just a waterbender. It was easier to think of her as that, because it was easier to believe she was his. The wide-eyed waterbender from the south. All his.

There was screaming all around him and he hoped she had found some comfort in the fact that there were other people with her, that she was coping. That she wasn't planning on doing anything stupid.

He really hoped she wasn't about to do something stupid.

* * *

A choppy-haired Korra and an overly excited Bolin set out in the middle of the night, both way too eager to go on their self-proclaimed "Rescue Mission." Nobody saw them leave, and they made it to the shoreline with no problem. It was almost too easy; then again, Korra was an adult now, they couldn't really stop her from doing anything.

"How are we supposed to get across?" Bolin asked, just to be met with a smirk. She whistled once. And waited.

Naga came tearing down the path, panting heavily, smiling the way only polar bear dogs can. The two of them quickly climbed onto her back, and Naga jumped in the water, beginning the journey.

* * *

**AN: **_This was literally written at 3 am so pardon the length and whatnot. Just imagining Bolin cutting Korra's hair off makes me laugh way too much. Anyway, I'm gonna meander back to Tumblr now._


	6. Chapter 5: Hands Held High

**Hands Held High**

"_...when the rich wage war, it's the poor who die..."_

A group of misfit teenagers sat around the fire, those who didn't qualify for the military and had thus formed their own; too young, too old, female, with sight problems. Korra hadn't bothered learning their names. Mako was the only person in her mind who mattered. Bolin on the other hand was being friendly with everyone at this point.

Right now a tall, muscular man, about 30 years old, was telling a story of his time in the military; how he had taken down ten firebenders at once by using waterbending to extinguish the fire, then to freeze them all to the ground. Korra found herself laughing at the story; the man spoke with his hands and acted out the firebenders' reactions.

She was dressed like the rebel soldiers her parents had told her to stay away from so many years ago: dark green, button-up shirt made of some light, silky material; stiff, sturdy pants made of a tough material suitable for running through the woods at top speed; sturdy boots made of tough leather; black fingerless gloves that went up to her elbow, a dark cap that protected her ears, sunglasses, and of course Mako's scarf tied around her neck. Bolin was dressed similarly. They both had what Lin's mother called "a healthy coating of earth," not to mention ash and various cuts that appeared from running through the jungle.

It felt like a family to her, in the sense that she had trusted her life to this group of misfit men and women. But they cared about each other and that was all that mattered.

* * *

Mako was terrified. That was the only word for it. Korra, his lover, his confidante, his best friend, had vanished off the face of the earth. As had his brother, the one person he could always rely on. That was what Tenzin had said to him in the hastily written letter. And he couldn't just leave the military, they'd track him down and kill him.

But Korra and Bolin were in trouble. That was what mattered.

Well, he didn't know that they were in trouble, but it wasn't really like them to just disappear like that, without any sort of warning.

...Okay, it was.

He found himself clutching to a photograph of his lover, staring at it hoping it would bring her back.

Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up. His battle-worn comrade, Li, standing there with a look of concern on his face.

"Korra and my brother are missing." he shouted over the gunfire. Li nodded.

"Rebel troops have been spotted near here. We've... been ordered to go investigate." The man, obviously lying, pulled Mako to his feet and they began to run through the grass, aware that they were deserting the rest of the military.

Li knew better. Mako needed Korra like the moon needs the sun. He had to get the two of them to each other.

* * *

The group was sitting around the fire eating when the scout ran up, looking frantic. Everyone stopped their banter to look up at him.

"Equalists are coming!" the boy shouted, collapsing to his knees as everyone else jumped up, packing up their things and arming themselves. Benders and nonbenders alike, each of them had a weapon anyway. Korra, armed with a machete that looked like it originated from her home in the Southern Water Tribe, stood at the front of the group. "There's a group of them, scouts and some soldiers, headed this way." the scout was out of breath, looking up at the armed horde of rebels in front of him.

"Let them come." Korra muttered sharply.

* * *

Mako and Li got there in time to witness a battle royale going on. And amidst the fighters, Korra and Bolin, each holding their own. Mako gasped as his brother, his sweet, harmless brother, took out three equalists at once by launching them into the air, bringing them down with a crack of bone on the hard ground.

Korra was fighting hard, using all four elements to keep the equalists at bay. She seemed to be doing well until suddenly, a bolt of electricity brought her twitching to the ground. Mako nearly ran to her, but was stopped by Li pinning him to the ground. Bolin had already formed a wall of earth around Korra and was standing in front of it, guarding it with everything he had. Dodging electricity and blocking it with walls of earth.

He silently thanked his brother. The two of them had made an agreement that even if Mako didn't come home, Bolin would always protect Korra.

Another bolt of electricity brought Bolin down, but the boy fought it, struggling to guard the girl surrounded by rock behind him. Another bolt brought him down completely, leaving him lifeless on the ground. The equalists quickly swept in, tying him up and knocking down the earth walls he built around Korra to get to her. Earth fell on Korra, cutting her up, and Mako winced, resisting the urge to run up there and save the two of them or die trying.

The equalists had the two of them dragged off somewhere into the woods before any of the losing rebels could stop them. Mako quickly shadowed them, going around the clearing, followed by Li.

The two unconscious teenagers were loaded onto an armored vehicle that had apparently been waiting. An equalist shouted something and the vehicle drove off, leaving Mako and Li in the dust.

* * *

Nighttime found the two men sitting by the remnants of the fire, planning how to get Korra and Bolin back. The plan, it seemed, was simple, but deadly.

Destroy equalist headquarters.

* * *

**A/N: Fair warning. Next chapter is graphic as all hell.**


	7. Chapter 6: Stockholm Syndrome

**Stockholm Syndrome**

"_...and I dread the moment when you finally come to kill me.."_

If she kept her eyes closed, she didn't have to focus on the pain.

They were keeping her locked in a tiny room, deep underground. Lin had taught her how to sense her surroundings, and while she wasn't an expert like the daughter of the renowned earthbender, she could still sense that she was deep underground, in a metal building. Unfortunately this gave her the ability to sense when her captors were coming.

With Amon dead in the explosion, there was nobody to take her bending away. However, there were a bunch of sadists, who enjoyed seeing the girl squirm and hearing her scream.

There was a man in the room with her right now, who had handcuffed her to the wall. He stroked her cheek gently, before pulling a knife and cutting across her face, leaving a deep gash that ran from her forehead to her cheekbone. She cried out in pain as he cut the other side of her face as well, going from her cheekbone nearly to her neck, but stopping so as to not hit the carotid artery.

"Scream all you want, little Avatar. That's just the beginning."

She could feel warm blood dripping down her face and dared to open her eyes. Out of one she saw only a swirl of colors; the knife had cut across her eyelid and evidently damaged the pupil. Out of the other she saw a smiling equalist, about 25 years old. "Now, where do we begin."

"People will come for me you know." she spat out, and froze when he put the knife to the corner of her mouth. Without another word he left a shallow cut going from the corner of her mouth to her ear, then did the same on the other side, marring her face with cuts.

"Now you can't even scream. How fun."

She looked at him in absolute terror, trying not to scream, her blue eyes wide as he ripped open her shirt and began slashing away.

"Calm down. We'll find them." Li said, watching the frantic firebender pace back and forth in front of him.

"What if we don't find them in time? What if they hurt my brother? And I swear to the spirits, if they lay a single hand on Korra..."

"You'll do what? Face it, you can't do this alone. We need more people to help us."

"Who is gonna help a couple of runaway soldiers?"

"More runaways."

She was laying on the ground bleeding, struggling to heal herself, when the man came back, this time with several others. She sobbed silently, knowing that more pain was about to happen.

"Your little friend is quite the fighter. Not a scratch on him." He said, in a tone dripping with hatred. She looked up from the ground just in time for him to kick her in the ribcage. The crack was audible throughout the room. The men just laughed as she cried out in agony.

"Silly little girl. Your bending won't help you. There's nothing for you to bend in this room except fire and-" he delivered a few sharp jabs "-now you can't even do that. Your chi is blocked."

The girl just whimpered, still curled up in pain from her ribcage. The men laughed and the first man kicked her again, harder, in the same spot. Her scream echoed through the building.

"Shut up." he ordered, kicking her again.

The rest of the men began to join in, picking her up, throwing her around, punching and kicking her. Various pops and cracks could be heard and by the time they were done she was covered in bruises,

The men finally stopped and let her body crumple to the floor. A few exchanged knowing looks, and left her alone again with the man with the knife.

"Such a silly girl." he whispered, before throwing her down to the ground.

Once again, her screams could be heard throughout the building.

* * *

"Li. Where the fuck did you find these people." Mako stood gaping at the small army that his friend had somehow conjured overnight, it seemed. Li just smiled.

"They were the ones the equalists _didn't _capture."

"So we can get Korra back?"

"We'll get them back. Both of them. Alive."

As the sun rose higher, the army began to descend towards the base camp of the Equalist army with one goal; Get back Korra and Bolin.

* * *

**A/N: **What in the bloody hell did I just write.


End file.
